New Window Shades

Last November, when I was in the middle of my stripping and plastering work, I ordered new shades for the house.  Until now, we've been living with faded green shears that we had from our old place.  They didn't look terrible but they never fit the windows and didn't provide much screening. 

Last week, the new shades arrived.  We decided to do a plain cotton ecru shade from Handwerk Shade Shop.  Everything arrived carefully wrapped and labeled.  I created a small template out of cardboard to use to mount the hardware and went at it.    

The hardware for our shades is mounted inside the jamb, above the rope weight for the window sash.  When Linda from Handwerks suggested this arrangement, I was skeptical.  I had never seen them hung this way and in my window jambs still had some old hardware from previous shades mounted on the jamb.  She was the expert so I took her advice and went with it.  I think it was a good decision. 

The first shade went up very quickly.  We fretted over the measurements and Linda took time to review the measurements with me over the phone.  



I started hanging the second shade and encountered a problem; the shade didn't fit.  It seemed to only be off a little so I grabbed a hammer, took down the piece of hardware and tried to flatten it a bit.  I put it back up and it still didn't fit.  After about an hour of this, I compared this piece of hardware with the others.  It was different.  I then held it up to the shade and realized that it was the wrong piece and the shade wouldn't fit into it at all.  I'll have to get Handwerks to send me another bracket.  In the meantime, I ran to the store and got a substitute bracket to hold the shade for the time being.  It still doesn't fit right but I am sure that with the correct bracket it will.   

The character of the house is very different with the shades and I like it a lot.  They block a lot more light than the shears.  We'll have to get used to that.  Also, at night, more light reflects off of them so the rooms feel a little brighter.  We'll have to get used to that also. 

All in all, I am very happy with them and the folks at Handwerk did a great job.  The craftsmanship of the shades is very good and details, like the simple brass pulls are a perfect fit with the house. 

I still love the idea of putting lace over the shades.  Perhaps something like these fancy ones from Cottage Lace.  My wife isn't in agreement so for now, I will just concentrate on getting the lighting and mural in order so that I can consider the living room and dining room projects "done". 



Shady Decisions

A package arrived the other day from The Handwerk Shade Shop.  I contacted them after deciding that in lieu of any curtains, I wanted to have plain roller shades on all of the windows.  This would be the best way to have a period-appropriate shade that looks right in the house while also allowing the refinished wood window trim to show.  They sent along shade material and fringe samples as well as some photos and info about their company.  Earlier in the week, they sent along a pull selection that I liked.

I like how they look and I like the ecru cotton cloth sample she sent.  When I looked closer at this option, I kept thinking how odd it was that I couldn't find a local maker/distributor that did the same sort of thing.  I remembered that a friend had the same shades so I went to his house and checked them out. 

At their home, the look is just what I wanted; though their woodwork is much nicer and far more elaborate than mine.  Their shades also appear to be linen/cotton.  He couldn't recall who did them but mentioned that the same company that did these did the historic-looking shades on the landmark Monadnock Building.  When you see photos of this amazing structure, the shades and interior light are a big part of the architecture.   

I have yet to contact the managers at the Monadnock to see who made their shades but after a little more persistence, I did locate a Chicago company that makes such shades.  The Zwick Company is a family owned business that has been making them since 1930.  They seem to have a decent website but I will have to contact them to see if I can get a sample of their material to see which one I like best.  They seem to be slightly more expensive though. 

So I have a decision to make: I know I am going to install the shades myself but I am not sure where to order them from. Part of me says to go local - but that would mean a little more footwork and maybe more cost.  Another part of me appreciates the responsiveness I've already gotten from the folks on the west coast and thinks I should go with them.  I have a third route that I never would have considered had I not seen in on a fellow blogger's site. The folks at Laurelhurst Craftsman Restoration is actually toying with making a DIY out of the shade dilemma. Given the stripping and refinishing and painting ahead of me, I don't think this is an option though. I guess I have a little time so I can sort through it but hopefully I can come to a decision in a couple days.